TikTok has banned the advertising account behind the nearly four-hour documentary *Musk*, citing a "repeated pattern of political content that violates its policies," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, directed by Alex Gibney and distributed by Bleecker Street, covers the billionaire Elon Musk and has generated ongoing controversy.
The documentary had a limited opening weekend starting October 9, playing at four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, grossing around $70,000. Showings expanded across more U.S. theaters on October 16. TikTok's "permanent suspension" of the promotional account comes just before wider distribution was set to begin.
Bleecker Street said it would appeal the decision and attempt to get it reversed. Beyond TikTok, the documentary has faced promotional ad issues with other platforms, including Meta and YouTube. Both eventually allowed trailer ads promoting the film's release, with a Meta spokesperson calling the initial decision "an error" and YouTube stating it had been "cleared to run."
X, owned by Elon Musk, has previously refused to run the trailer for the documentary, per an earlier report from THR.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing